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Warnings against idolatry

Third Sunday of Lent (B), Exodus 20:1-17.

On the third Sunday of Lent, our lectionary survey course in Old Testament salvation history brings us to Moses, the initial link between the Israelites and God, their leader out of slavery, their great spiritual father and lawgiver.

In this year B Moses is not mentioned by name, but the reading gives us the commandments that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. These commandments would constitute the required response to God’s covenant with the people that would soon be formalized. The Pentateuch gives us the 10 commandments twice: here, at the beginning of the people’s sojourn in the desert, and again (in Deuteronomy 5:6-21) as they prepare to enter the promised land.

This reading is rather long as Old Testament Sunday readings go in the lectionary — 17 verses. The average length of Old Testament Sunday readings is just short of six verses. One gathers that those who prepared the lectionary thought that the 10 commandments were important enough to demand a full, unedited presentation (although the lectionary does give a stripped-down version of the reading that can be used if necessary).

Just before our reading begins, Moses had been called into the presence of God. He had gone up and down Mount Sinai several times to get God’s instructions and to prepare the people for the majestic manifestation of the Lord. Then God delivers His commandments to Moses, commandments that would serve as the grounding for their moral identity as a people, commandments that would keep them aware of God’s covenant with them.

The commandments begin with a brief prefatory statement of God’s right to make demands on the people of Israel. "I am your God who brought you out of Egypt. That’s why I have the right to look for some response from you."

Then follow the 10 commandments, the first three (or four) being concerned with Israel’s relationship to God, the others with their relationships with one another.

First the most basic command of all: "You shall not have other gods besides me." The Israelites were not to have many gods as did the Egyptians from whom they had fled and the peoples who would surround them once they had entered the promised land. The Israelites were to worship only the God who had rescued them from slavery. Later, as the relationship matured between God and the Israelites, it would become clear that there simply was no other God but the God of the Israelites.

They were not to make images that claim to represent God. It was important for the Israelites to be aware that God is beyond human representation. Moreover, images of gods tend to be transformed into gods themselves and become occasions for idolatry. (Catholics look on these first demands as one commandment, while others look on them as two. Consequently there are two ways of numbering the 10 commandments.)

God insists on these basic signs of reverence because He is "a jealous God," one who demands exclusive allegiance, a God who punishes the wicked and offers mercy to the faithful.

Next come the commands about reverence for God’s name and about the observance of the Sabbath. These three (or four) initial commands would constitute the religious identity of the Israelites. They would be able to be seen as God’s people to the extent that they observed these directives.

Then come the other commands that deal with the Israelites’ relationships to one another. Basically they call for mutual reverence in human relationships and for respect for the property of others.

The 10 commandments set forth the demands of any relationship with God. They enunciate the people’s duties toward God and toward one another. They were to be learned and constantly remembered. That’s why there are ten: so that the people could count them off on their fingers.

The 10 commandments apply to us, too. They each provide material for self-examination and repentance during the season of Lent. But the most basic and important of all of them is still the first commandment, the prohibition of idolatry. Most of us tend to look on idolatry as something that only primitive people engage in, natives in grass skirts dancing in front of a statue. But idolatry is more pervasive than that. Whenever people make a creature more important than God, they are engaging in idolatry. Lots of 21st- century people practice idolatry when they center their lives around comfort or success or money or security or self-indulgence. It is possible that even some who count themselves as believers may be idolaters without realizing it.

For reflection and discussion

Which commandments call for most attention from me?

Have I ever practiced idolatry? When and how?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk Warnings against idolatry Third Sunday of Lent (B), Exodus 20:1-17. On the third Sunday of Lent, our lectionary survey course in Old Testament salvation history brings us to Moses, the initial link between the Israelites and God, their leader out of slavery, their great spiritual father and lawgiver. In this year B Moses is not mentioned by name, but the reading gives us the commandments that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. These commandments would constitute the required response to God’s covenant with the people that would soon be formalized. The Pentateuch gives us the 10 commandments twice: here, at the beginning of the people’s sojourn in the desert, and again (in Deuteronomy 5:6-21) as they prepare to enter the promised land. This reading is rather long as Old Testament Sunday readings go in the lectionary — 17 verses. The average length of Old Testament Sunday readings is just short of six verses. One gathers that those who prepared the lectionary thought that the 10 commandments were important enough to demand a full, unedited presentation (although the lectionary does give a stripped-down version of the reading that can be used if necessary). Just before our reading begins, Moses had been called into the presence of God. He had gone up and down Mount Sinai several times to get God’s instructions and to prepare the people for the majestic manifestation of the Lord. Then God delivers His commandments to Moses, commandments that would serve as the grounding for their moral identity as a people, commandments that would keep them aware of God’s covenant with them. The commandments begin with a brief prefatory statement of God’s right to make demands on the people of Israel. "I am your God who brought you out of Egypt. That’s why I have the right to look for some response from you." Then follow the 10 commandments, the first three (or four) being concerned with Israel’s relationship to God, the others with their relationships with one another. First the most basic command of all: "You shall not have other gods besides me." The Israelites were not to have many gods as did the Egyptians from whom they had fled and the peoples who would surround them once they had entered the promised land. The Israelites were to worship only the God who had rescued them from slavery. Later, as the relationship matured between God and the Israelites, it would become clear that there simply was no other God but the God of the Israelites. They were not to make images that claim to represent God. It was important for the Israelites to be aware that God is beyond human representation. Moreover, images of gods tend to be transformed into gods themselves and become occasions for idolatry. (Catholics look on these first demands as one commandment, while others look on them as two. Consequently there are two ways of numbering the 10 commandments.) God insists on these basic signs of reverence because He is "a jealous God," one who demands exclusive allegiance, a God who punishes the wicked and offers mercy to the faithful. Next come the commands about reverence for God’s name and about the observance of the Sabbath. These three (or four) initial commands would constitute the religious identity of the Israelites. They would be able to be seen as God’s people to the extent that they observed these directives. Then come the other commands that deal with the Israelites’ relationships to one another. Basically they call for mutual reverence in human relationships and for respect for the property of others. The 10 commandments set forth the demands of any relationship with God. They enunciate the people’s duties toward God and toward one another. They were to be learned and constantly remembered. That’s why there are ten: so that the people could count them off on their fingers. The 10 commandments apply to us, too. They each provide material for self-examination and repentance during the season of Lent. But the most basic and important of all of them is still the first commandment, the prohibition of idolatry. Most of us tend to look on idolatry as something that only primitive people engage in, natives in grass skirts dancing in front of a statue. But idolatry is more pervasive than that. Whenever people make a creature more important than God, they are engaging in idolatry. Lots of 21st- century people practice idolatry when they center their lives around comfort or success or money or security or self-indulgence. It is possible that even some who count themselves as believers may be idolaters without realizing it. For reflection and discussion** Which commandments call for most attention from me? Have I ever practiced idolatry? When and how?

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